Wide Receiver?

So this is what our WR corp will look like for 2013:

Michael Crabtree
Mario Manningham
Kyle Williams
A.J. Jenkins
Chad Hall

Free Agents:

Randy Moss
Ted Ginn Jr.

Don't be surprised if the 49ers do not address this position in the offseason. There are a few things to keep in mind...

- It will not make sense to "buy" a big name WR since Crabtree's rookie contract has him making $5 million for 2013. Crabtree will want well more than that once his contract is up in a couple of seasons. It would set bad precedent to bring in an expensive, big name WR.
- Before Williams and Manningham were injured, Moss saw very few snaps. Even after they were hurt, Kaep rarely threw to him. When Moss and Vernon were open on the same play deep in the Super Bowl, Kaep chose to throw to Vernon. Bottom line? We didn't need Moss. He had very little impact even though he was still able to get open. 

This team will be fine with Crabtree, Manningham and Williams as the top three WR's. The bigger problem will be replacing Delanie...maybe this bad year for him will lower his value. I doubt it though. NFL teams are pretty savvy on talent nowadays and I doubt Delanie will slide under their radar. 

It looks like Jenkins is showing renewed interest:

[http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co
m/2013/02/06/a-j-jenkins-promises-t
o-return-as-a-totally-different-pla
yer/ ]

I don't think MM will be 100% by the start of next year.  I don't see paying Walker starter money which someone else surely will & I think Moss is gone for sure. Ginn is a return man only for us & Jenkins/Hall are a mystery. I think we could cut Moss, Ginn, MM & maybe 1 more & then draft a guy & make a play for Greg Jennings or Bowe without breaking the bank. If Williams & Manningham can come back as good as they were I have no problem staying put at WR either. 

Optimus, I like your call.  Ginn is worthless as a wide out.  Moss wants more than the Niners can give him and I think, while he did a great job in a mentor's role this year, it won't fly next season.  He's gone.  Manningham was still on crutches at the Super Bowl.  Not a good sign.  Williams, I have heard, is ahead of schedule.  So what do the Niners do?

I like the idea of Jennings or Bowe, but I really think either one of those guys will break the bank.  The rumor out of Baltimore is that the Ravens might release Anquan Boldin.  I like that idea.  Here are some other names (by the way...I'm not sold on any of these guys, but they might be able to help.  It's worth talking about)

Josh Cribbs (good return man too)
Brian Hartline (but I've heard he want's a 5-6 mil contract)
Mike Wallace (probably like Jennings and Bowe...too pricey) 
Danny Amendola (if we sign this guy, then we don't have to watch him put up 25 catches in a game like he did this year)
Wes Welker  (too pricey)
Devery Henderson  (he can certainly stretch a field; but I've always questioned his hands)
Domenik Hixson (Another of those Giant receivers who is seemingly always hurt)
Brandon Gibson (he's an unknown playing in that Rams' offense)


after that...pray.  Another option would be to package draft picks for a receiver currently on another roster.  I don't know...it's going to be tough if Jenkins turns out to be Ryan Leaf.      


As for the draft, my thoughts are:

CB - Please, I'm tired of Chris Culliver
DL - We have to find a replacement for Justin Smith at some point
LB - Larry Grant will most assuredly be gone...back ups will be key.  Haralson will be back.
WR - See above...we could also use a kick returner here
   

       

Dont forget we need a FG kicker. 

Looking at Kahuna's list, I think that Josh Cribbs would be a great pickup. He's not going to be expensive and he can also be our main punt returner. I know that he and our special teams coach have a history together. I think that Kyle Williams would definitely be able to be our PR and do a good job, but I'd rather not risk him getting injured. He's a good slot receiver and we missed him down the stretch. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a late round pick on a WR with speed. We could always use someone who can stretch the field (and there are suprisingly a lot of "undersized" WRs with blazing speed to be had typically in the 6th round).

What about Miles Austin for a 2nd round pick? He is making a lot of money, but he is proven.

49ers are trying to save money under the cap so they don't have the luxury of trading for a #2 WR with a large salary. Plus, Miles Austin isn't worth anything close to a 2nd round pick in today's market.

Ted Ginn is a sure handed punt returner, a bad route runner. I think he could be replaced, but hopefully whoever steps in his punt return role, shows the hands and the confidence to be back there like ted ginn.

There's really only one sure thing at the WR position for us.  Michael Crabtree is now a star.  I hope Manningham can come back to full strength because he was really a nice weapon for us this year.  He exceeded my expectations before getting injured.  Williams is a nice #4 type guy and also needs to get healthy.  Jenkins did not contribute this year, but we should not give up on him.  It's not like he underperformed on a team of scrubs.  Even after Manningham and Williams went down, he was the #5 recieving option on the team.  

Rather than sign a big name WR, I think I'd rather see us get Walker back for the right price.  I was definitely down on Walker throughout the season because of the drops, but I've come to realize that he's very valuable to this team even with the drops.  My hope is that another team doesn't want to sign him as their #1 because of the drops and he comes back.  

I will say this regarding spending on a WR...I'm much more comfortable with the idea than last year.  We now have ourselves a QB that can take big time advantage of a down the field threat.  I'm really hoping that can be Jenkins.  

I think Moss is gone, but I will remember him fondly.  Ginn is probably gone too, but you know what's funny, it actually seemed like he was becoming a decent blocker...weird.  He just adds nothing as a WR (and I'm mad at him for not returning the last punt in the SB for a TD :)  

Overall, it will be ver interesting to see what happens at this position.   

According to nfl.com, the Vikings are shopping Percy Harvin. Maybe the Niners could send them Smith and they could work something out. A really good situation for Smith in my opinion.

The Vikings won't give up on Christian Ponder yet.

Not everyone is going to want Alex Smith just because he's available. The fact that Harvin might be available should be intriguing for the Niners though. Should they give up a few of the picks they've stockpiled to try and pull off a deal? I'm not sure if Harvin is a true #2 receiver or is just a glorified slot guy. Still would do wonders to help the offense, and could certainly be a deep threat. 

I think we could cut Moss, Ginn, MM & maybe 1 more & then draft a guy & make a play for Greg Jennings or Bowe without breaking the bank

I was just thinking about this.  Actually was going to make a thread about it.  What kind of $$$ is Jennings going to require?  I'd really like him and Crab as a 1/2 punch!  

Offense would be even more potent!!   

The 49ers do have the ammo to pull off a trade for Harvin. However, I doubt they do. The 49ers aren't one of those teams that will give up draft picks for a guy holding out for money. Harvin will be pricey. So will Jennings and Bowe. Bowe has character issues. Jennings is an injury risk. Harvin misses games due to Migraines. The top WR's this year all have question marks so they're not worth ehelling out a lot of $'s for.

I don't think WR is a big issue for us. Crabtree is a good #1 and Kaep does a good job of getting the ball to him. I can see the 49ers targeting a tier 2 WR like Cribbs (as mentioned by Kahuna). I think he's the type of "under the radar" guy that the 49ers will target. I think Devery Henderson is another one of those guys. These are a couple of guys who are not #1 WR's, but are good deep threats that won't take the spotlight away from Crabtree.

I'm also going to go out on a limb and say that Jenkins develops for us. He also has good deep speed and I think he'll take a big leap forward this year. 

Chris Culliver isnt going anywhere. hes a 2nd year player...and aside from a few bad plays - that were just as much whitner's fault.... he had a very good year.

the Culliver hate is just typical fan overreaction.. ahlah Kyle Williams.

If Josh Cribbs or Mike Wallace is a good fit for the team then I say try and get one of them by all means. I'd rather have one of them on the 49ers burning opposing DBs than watching our guys get burned to the tune of we should've/could've gotten him. Would also like to see Jenkins emerge as a good receiver with deep threat abilities  but someone mentioned releasing Moss, Ginn an MM so def could use an experienced guy

Herodreamer...I disagree...the hate for Culliver stems from several things, only one of which is his comments.  His play in the Super Bowl was horrible to say the least.  Horrible.  But as a season ticket holder, I've got to watch Culliver up close and personal for most of the season.  There wre countless times that he was beaten where other DB's covered up for him.  His timing on fade routes is perhaps the worst in the NFL.  How many times this season did we see him go up too early or too late to knock the ball away from a receiver?  I can think of at least five situations where this happened, the last of whcih was against the Packers in the play-offs.

The Niners won't dump Culliver because he's young, cheap, and still has a chance to be a decent CB.  But let's be realistic, his play has been so-so the entire season.  If he was that good, he would have unseated Brown or Rogers.  I think that the displeasure with Culliver wasn't just the Super Bowl, like that of Williams in the NFL championship.  It was a sitaution that many of us had seen coming all season long.

I would like to see the 49ers bring in a wide receiver via draft pick or free agent.

The Cribbs idea is a great one for two reasons. First the return abilities both punt and KO. Second, he provides some backup Wideout stability if Mario doesn't make an immediate return. But Harbaugh is a wiley one. Watch for FA to determine the draft.